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Scott Johnson - The Wolf & the Watchman

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - 7:00pm

When Scott C. Johnson was fourteen, his dad took him to work. In a parking lot in Detroit, Johnson was told the truth: his father was a spy for the CIA. At first, he reacts like any teenage boy would: he thinks his dad is James Bond. As time goes by, however, he begins to realize it’s not really like James Bond at all. How could his dad go through such rigorous training to deceive and manipulate, and then just turn it off when he gets home? Part family memoir, part spy story, The Wolf and the Watchman: A Father, a Son, and the CIA ($26.95), is a powerful and moving father-son account that starts during the Cold War and takes us to the present War on Terror.

Scott C. Johnson was a Newsweek foreign correspondent for twelve years, often providing exclusive war reporting from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts in the Middle East. He is now a freelance journalist and writer living in Oakland, California.

Growing up, Scott C. Johnson always suspected that his father was different. Only as a teenager did he discover the truth: his father was a spy, one of the CIA's most trusted officers. At first the secret was thrilling. But over time Scott began to have doubts. How could a man so rigorously trained to deceive and manipulate simply turn off those skills at home?